


Pride and Prejudice

by PondAmyPond



Series: Period Dramas [1]
Category: Carmilla - All Media Types, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Periods, heroines on their periods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-22 12:16:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9607211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PondAmyPond/pseuds/PondAmyPond
Summary: So, I am very bothered by the fact that nobody ever mentions women being on their periods in any book ever? And I got mad about it to my housemate, who suggested I fixed them. So I have. All of the works in this series are me writing scenes into my favourite books/movies/tv shows (of varying genres and time periods) in which the heroine has to deal with being on her period. Because that should be a thing. Enjoy!





	

**Author's Note:**

> If you want me to tackle this with a specific book/movie/tv show/character then please tell me I am happy to write them on request and I really hope you like this!

Elizabeth Bennet sighed as she scrubbed yesterdays cloths against the washboard. Although there was something immensely satisfying about the redness running away downstream, there was equally a heaviness to the task that she could have lived without. Indeed, in these weeks she found always that everything she attempted was far more work than it would usually be. It did not help, of course, that this particular task was forced upon her everyday out of necessity during these weeks, and that today it was accompanied by a person almost as unpleasant as the task itself. 

Caroline Bingley was, at the best of times, irritating, rude, and snobbish. Elizabeth found, however, that this week her energies were used up diverting attention from the pain in her abdomen, and as such Miss Bingley was closer to unbearable than merely annoying. Caroline chattered away about the superiority of the Bingley parties in comparison to what seemed like a list of every other household in society, and Elizabeth found herself imagining that the rag in her hand was Caroline’s head, and scrubbed harder, suddenly enjoying the rushing blood from the rag into the water. In this fashion the two women continued their tasks, Caroline sitting serenely on the grassy banks talking in her holier-than-thou manner, and Elizabeth washing out her bloody rags desperately resisting the urge to hurl them at her companion. 

Eventually, not nearly as quickly as Elizabeth would have liked, all the cloths were as clean as they would ever be, and the Bennet girl made her excuses to Miss Bingley, before rushing back to the house as quickly as possible. She was greeted at the door by Jane, who handed her sister a cup of warm milk and honey, exchanging it for the washing basket and, despite Elizabeth’s (admittedly feeble) protests, pinned each rag on the line to dry. When she was done, Jane turned to her sister.

“Poor Lizzy,” smiled Jane gently, “I hope Miss Bingley was not too trying?”

Elizabeth grunted at her sister, returning the smile with a hint of mischief, “Well, certainly no-one could blame me if I murdered her in my present condition. I could simply claim women’s hysteria and be done with it.”

Jane looked shocked and admonished her sister, “Lizzy! You shouldn’t say such things! Miss Bingley is not so awful as all that!” Seeing Elizabeth’s obvious fatigue and irritation, she added, “But I suppose she is more difficult to endure for you this week than the rest of the month.”

Elizabeth sighed dramatically. “Jane darling, Mother Nature is a cruel mistress!” Smiling at her sister, Elizabeth stood up from her perch on the window sill. “I think I shall go upstairs and lie down in the dark for a while. At the very least it may help the headache! Thank you for the milk, Jane darling.”

Jane stood in the sunshine and watched her sister walk away into the cool darkness of the house. Lizzy had not slapped Caroline yet, and so today counted as a great success. Laughing to herself, Jane picked up the washing basket and silently hoped that, for the sake of all involved, Lizzy’s cycle lasted only five days this time around.


End file.
